Information has traditionally been communicated via methods such as radio, television (TV), telephones, and newspapers. Recently, information has been communicated by more digital mechanisms such as the internet (including web interfaces), email, instant messaging, and text messaging.
Some of these communication methods have been initiated for the purpose of collecting a payment, to an account holder (i.e., a doctor's office) from the account owner (i.e., a patient). These payment communication methods have typically been performed by mail, phone calls, and in certain instances via email. The communication by phone interaction has usually been limited to 1-to-1 phone calls that are manually initiated by a person. The mail and email have likewise been limited to 1-to-1 communications that are typically initiated by a person. During the last several years, interactive voice applications (IVR) have allowed callers to access information over the phone in an automated or semi-automated fashion.